Asked by host Glenn Ordway if he believed his staff was loyal to him, Valentine said, “No.” Asked why he felt that way, Valentine responded, “You asked me what I feel. That’s what I feel.”

Valentine then was asked if he thought the staff undermined him, and he said, “Yes.” Asked why, Valentine said, “Just what I feel.”

Finally, Valentine was asked if he would want different coaches if he returned next season. He said, “Some, yeah.”

One of the knocks on the Valentine experiment is that the Red Sox did not allow him to pick all of his own coaches. But Valentine stopped short—for now—of blaming the front office, noting that he interviewed the new hires and had a say in who was selected. He also said it was his job to “work through it” and “make it all functional.”

Functional was something the Red Sox certainly were not this season. There was clubhouse turmoil from the start, and Valentine was continually part of the problems—either directly or indirectly.

Nothing about the Valentine hire has gone right for the Red Sox, and their managerial search should start Thursday—the day after their abysmal regular season ends. Valentine just keeps assuring everyone that this would be the right move.